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Topic: Trident Maple Project Tree (Read 18233 times)

It has been too long since I got some new (good) material. I saved my Christmas money from last year and decided earlier this year that I was going to make this one part of my collection. I brought it home the Saturday before Thanksgiving ...and have NOT had a chance to do much with it other than take it out of the car. I'll follow up as time/updates allow/require. I've got a plan, but I'd love to know if other folks see the same thing I do. Thoughts?

Oohh, i love this game, i would definitely be working on the taper above the first curve. Depending on how the tree looked and what i chose as my front i would be debating chopping down to one of the major branches above the first curve, possibly leaving the left branch and working with that. Or, i would make the left trunk (2nd pic)a branch and work the taper on the right trunk? How'd i do? Close to your plans, probably not since I'm stuck in the second dimension :/

For my two cents.... And realizing it isn't my tree.... I would use the lowest branch as the tree. Develop from there.I might think of air layering off the top...but.... Don't know if I would want to lose the year of development on the primary tree.Nice material.... Wise investmentAgain my two centsJay

As Jay pointed out, making this into a sumo is an option. Personally, I'd keep the main trunk, though, along with the first main branch, and style as an informal upright. I believe pic one has the best nebari, so that would be my front. The main trunk lacks taper in the upper 40-50%, do I'd cut it back and grow out a new leader. Nice material, Wayne.

Probably controversial, what I would do... There are a lot of old beech and oak trees around here that stand out to me every time I see them with their singular appearance. The thing they have in common is a very strong branch in the tree. Most of the time they go outward from the trunk and have some very nice twists or strong curves. Not always the lowest branch either, but that branch really makes those old trees for me. I would keep the low branch and use it as a branch, not a secondary trunk. I have a couple trees that I could photograph for an example if I get time... I really like the wrinkles below that branch on the second pic too.I have been looking for a project tree to do this strong branch idea with now for a bit.

Thanks for your feedback. Several of you have hit on what I'm intending (and alluded to in another thread weeks ago I believe). I want to airlayer off the tall trunk, leaving the first branch to build a near-sumo-but-maybe-taller tree.

Judy, while I've all but decided that's the direction I'm heading, I would love to see some pictures of what you're talking about. I remember the first time a sashi-eda (sashi-no-eda?) branch finally made sense to me when I was looking at a tree in nature. I haven't ever seen it in deciduous material though.

Now for some advice: I want desperately to go ahead and repot this tree. Would it be unwise to repot and airlayer during the same season? If you were to do both in one season, how would you go about it?

Now for some advice: I want desperately to go ahead and repot this tree. Would it be unwise to repot and airlayer during the same season? If you were to do both in one season, how would you go about it?

Unless someone speaks up in the next few days telling me this is unwise, I believe I'm going to go ahead and repot it and try to airlayer it this year. I might back off depending how extensive the repotting goes. Once its leafed out, I'll judge its growth and reassess how sane it is to try to airlayer.

Now for some advice: I want desperately to go ahead and repot this tree. Would it be unwise to repot and airlayer during the same season? If you were to do both in one season, how would you go about it?

Unless someone speaks up in the next few days telling me this is unwise, I believe I'm going to go ahead and repot it and try to airlayer it this year. I might back off depending how extensive the repotting goes. Once its leafed out, I'll judge its growth and reassess how sane it is to try to airlayer.

You can do that without too much concern. Its basically a deciduous weed. Also, I would not judge the decision to airlayer on growth after repotting, because repotting will stimulate a rush of new growth.

I agree with don.i find it is way easier to make your layer cuts when your tree is bear rooted and you can lay it down on your table. Better cut. Keep roots covered with wet towl and away you go. I would also do the same with a Japanese maple. Works for me.Qualicum Brian

I haven't had much success airlayering this one. Initially I cut the bark and placed the sphagnum and wrapped it in plastic. The plastic was held in place by firmly wrapping wire around both ends (top & bottom). I never saw roots so I broke it open and saw it was building callous material. Reapplied hormone and fresh/new sphagnum. I tried to make sure the wrap was sealed tighter this time as the moss seemed to be holding/catching too much water. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. This time, when I reapplied the moss, I did it in a pot that was secured to the trunk with Lava, Akadama, and Pumice in equal portions around the moss. My thinking is that this will wick away some of that moisture in the moss.

I'm not seeing anything that makes me hopeful there are new roots in this attempt. Am I right to believe that if this thing were throwing roots that the top would be going crazy as well?

I'm not seeing anything that makes me hopeful there are new roots in this attempt. Am I right to believe that if this thing were throwing roots that the top would be going crazy as well?

Not necessarily. I've got a layer going on a Japanese maple that hasn't shown any new top growth for about a month now, but I checked today and it's got some nice root growth going. Similarly, last year I layered a couple of Chinese quinces, they also rooted strongly without showing any change in top growth.